It’s only appropriate that chef Mary Dumont would be at the table for Top Chef Boston’s Julia Child Tribute – Child, the mother of modern day cooking shows, was a regular at Harvard Square’s venerable Harvest restaurant, where Dumont is Chef. Dumont took a moment to talk to us about judging dishes, sitting down to dinner with Jacques Pepin and why Boston is such an awesome food town.
Boston Chefs: So, you were out at the Herb Lyceum for your Top Chef appearance to judge the cheftestants’ tributes to Julia Child. What was that like?
Chef Mary Dumont: I mean, Julia was a regular at Harvest so it was a really cool experience to be a part of that. And just to be in the presence of Jacques Pepin was just, all-around, totally rad. That was probably the most exciting part for me. He sat right across from me and he’s just such a lovely human being. I’ve met him a couple of times before but I’ve never really sat across from him and had a meal with him. That was the most fun part for me.
BC: Do you generally watch Top Chef?
Dumont: I’ve watched it as much as I can. Of course, this season is more interesting to me because people that I know and some friends have been judges. It’s kind of fun to see how Boston’s being represented and what the perception of Boston is. Sometimes it’s a little ‘baked beans-y’ to me but I think that it’s well-overdue for Top Chef to have been here. I think that it’s a good thing.
BC: So, do you think this was a good challenge? If you were designing a Top Chef Boston challenge what would it be?
Dumont: Well, I think that it’s good to weave in the past and the present which is pretty much what they did in this particular challenge. That was really pretty cool. I mean you’ve got these modern-day chefs trying to do something and represent someone who is iconic in Boston and in the culinary world. I think that would have been close to the challenge I would have dreamed up. Or, I don’t know, sending people out on a boat in Gloucester? They’ve kind of covered it all. They’ve done the Red Sox, the Patriots – a lot of the stuff that makes Boston unique. But it’s good that there are some modern-day things instead of just always relying on the past.
BC: So, you’ve got some culinary competitions of your own under your belt, what does it feel like to be on the other side of the table?
Dumont: I was a little more sympathetic in a way because I know what a nightmare it truly is. And, you know, you have to be really judging them. You can’t just let things slide because you feel sympathetic and you know they’re going through the wringer. But, I got it. When the contestants walked up to the table, I was like “Yeah, I know that look; that ‘I might throw up’ look.” (laughs) I felt for them and their nerves and jitters.
BC: Speaking of judging, what are you looking for when you’re assessing a dish?
Dumont: Obviously, execution; you want to make sure that it tastes good and that it’s presented well. When you’re considering someone like Julia Child it really is about technique and execution because old-school French cooking is all about technique as opposed to a lot of modern food which is about show and this and that and the other thing. So, that’s what I was looking for. Did the contestants really understand the challenge and what it was truly about? And that’s what we talked about at the table that was really interesting. When you’re representing Julia Child, do you know what you’re talking about?
BC: Tell us a little bit about what it means to you to have Top Chef decide to come to Boston.
Dumont: I think it’s overdue. You have so many talented, great chefs in this town and I think Boston is unique because we all tend to get along; we all tend to support each other. There’s an interesting generation of chefs that have grown up in this city and instead of being overly competitive against each other we’re more overly competitive towards other cities and want to see each one of us succeed. This show is national and so many people watch it and get to see local chefs be judges, and be a part of it in some way or another. I think it’s a huge positive for Boston.
BC: You’re not the first chef we’ve talked to that has said Boston is a uniquely collaborative or friendly sort of culinary community. Why do you think that is?
Dumont: Cause everyone is really cool. (laughs) A lot of other cities have been like “Oh, Boston’s not a food city” or when they have top food destinations in the country people are like “Oh, pooh pooh to Boston.” and it’s like “Well, no actually.” For many, many years this has been happening and I think collectively, in the conscious of the chefs in this area, we all realized that we’re all in this together. We’re all doing great food and it doesn’t serve us by hurting each other. It’s Boston collectively against everyone else that doesn’t’ put us on that list. Also, everybody gets along. I’ve worked in so many different cities and so many of them are really cutthroat or arrogant and so many people look down their nose and it’s like, what’s the point of that? Everyone here knows each other. And we all do these events together and you see these people and know that they’re on your side. I think that everyone just collectively understands that it doesn’t hurt to actually, genuinely like to hang out with each other.
